Breville Toaster Oven

 My Breville Toaste Oven, which is an MVP in my kitchen died.  First, the convection fan failed.  Then, the unit failed to power.  At a replacement cost of $270.  Of course you know that I scoured the internet and YouTube in particular to find videos on how to fix.  I was reay.  Heck, I even bought the fuse for it.

I then headed over to ebay.  I found a used one, free shipping, and I made an offer on it.  The pictures showed that it was cleaner than the one I have (~10yrs old). So I saved a couple of hundred dollars (so long as I'm not disappointed with the condition.

I've generally had good luck on Ebay.  I have only had to ask for credit twice.  Once because a pair of binoculars I bought were stated as "like new" when in fact the lenses had striations from improper cleaning.  Optics were fine, but it was not "like new".  The seller and I worked it out.  The second time was something that was packaged so poorly it had a sensitive end sticking out (phone video holder) that was broken and unusable.  The seller offered me a generous credit without my naming a dollar amount.

I love that Breville Toaster Oven.  It is the first Breville appliance I have ever owned.  It is smartly designed, pleasing to the eye and has many useful features...all of which I use.  Because it is a larger size,  you can easily cook a smaller meal without heating up the big oven.  

The Breville is dead.  Long live the Breville.  May it come soon.


LeMoyne Star Quilt Progress + Importance of "Field Notes"

 My serendipitous "designing " of my son's quilt was done with a big fat crayon in the beginning.  Well, it started with a gear shift first.  I had planned to make the modified Betwixt and do the quilt in just 2 colors.  Then I thought it important do codify, via video, my LeMoyne Star process on You Tube hoping that it might help one person have better success at tackling this block. In the process of doing that, I had a "HMMMM" moment and self musing, "Why not use these blocks in this blue/gray colorway into my son's quilt?"  (He's an adult male).  After getting an enthusiastic response on the colors and some of the more dramatic blocks, I realized I had settled on the shape of that project.

My blocks are simply "maker's choice" designs which has given me a chance to skill build on making these compound diamonds. I was inspired by seeing a scrappy LeMoyne Star which I think was from Six White Horses but not attributed as such...it was just on the Pinterest.  I stumbled upon Six White Horses blog site and it appeared to my eye that was the style of the star, though I did not see a photo of it. Her stars were paper pieced.  That is a good option for any who don't want to fuss with Y seams or buy Rapid Fire ruler.

Nevertheless, I hadn't considered making a star that way, basically because I was perfecting my construction techniques.  I don't know how many stars I have made now, but I I'm pretty sure that it is approaching 200--and that makes me a CONFIDENT and CONFIDENT piecer of these beautiful blocks.  I'm sharing with others my trials and tribulations.  And maybe I'm a slow learner or poor technician to have to do so many to become proficient.  But I really like the 8 seams less block than pieced seams to avoid Y-seams. And having researched, adopted, modified techniques to sew off the corner of these units, I'm really not doing anything that any other could easily do--but all of that time paid off.  I have a real understanding of this block that goes to my core.  Plus, I can make these on autopilot.

 I'll not lie, these stars take time to do--but they are brilliantly beautiful to my eye, and allow you to use so many different fabrics--its a great stash buster, but not an easy one. The only constant is that my alternating blocks are Kona Snow background and Timeless Treasures Soho Sail.  I think Sail is one of the prettiest colors I've ever seen.  It is blue/gray with purple undertone and goes fantastically with so many things in my dragon den of fabric.

LeMoyne Star Pieced
Madras Melange LeMoyne Star

LeMoyne Star

LeMoyne Star Dark Background

LeMoyne Star
LeMoyne Star White Light Background

Above are just a few of the stars. I've been able to use fabric in my stash to create some really pretty (to my eye anyway!) stars.  Not all have turned out as planned--but each are stars in their own right and have helped me solidify my skill in making this star.  

Construction notes:  (1) For these compound diamonds, I elected to press the inset seam towards the star.  I had experimented pressing toward the inset--the advantage that it pushes the seam to the least resistance.  However, I pushed it to the diamond with as good results.  I think that the only way to do this is to press along the way--and most of the best teachers admonish against this (not Shar Jorgenson though).  I have found NO issues with dry pressing and using a pressing sheet. I also have an older, heavier, hot-as-hell iron, and I think that helps.

(2) I inset the square first, and like a mechanic putting on lugnuts, I went to the opposite side installing two polarities of squares and then the second polarity.  I think this gives you the advantage of not pulling the block too far out of line if you join all of the diamonds first as I do.  Do the same with the triangle insets.  Again, any of it is YOUR preference.  I'm one of those nebbish folks that will try all ways and settle (objectively) on a method that makes the most sense to me and yields excellent results.

I have 49 of the stars to make, and I'm about 2/3rds through, and I've spent a ton of time on this! Even so, I'm not bored with it. This block has reminded me of the importance of keeping a notebook on construction methods (given that my brain seems to be calcified!).  For example, I made two stars, and trimming to the correct size meant that I had lost my points (not 1/4" clearance).  I looked at my machine and had a DOH! moment:  I had forgotten to adjust from scant to full 1/4" for my insets. You need a full 1/4" to lap your ends when sewing any point. Until you review and investigate surprising outcomes, you will not have a fully immersive learning (cursing) experience.

As I documented my progress to date on this quilt, to include finalizing the size and block count/size, I decided that I should codify my construction techniques. To wit:

  • Insets are oversized
  • Sew strips using scant 1/4" 
    • created abbreviation of SQ and FQ for scant and full quarter respectively.
  • Sew intra diamond units SQ which created the best diamond joins for each full diamond.
  • Sew full diamonds together using FQ
  • Sew insets FQ




Savannah Great Horned Owl Camera

Savannah Great Horned Owl

 Cornell has Great Horned Owl nesting site on its website.  Pictured above (captured screen shot of live cam) are the mother(l) and the chick.  The chick has grown remarkably fast getting its feathers in the last week...transformed from a downy cotton ball to the teenager-ish great horned owl.  You can watch along too here.

Watching the nest of an apex predator can be jarring to more delicate sensibilities.  However, watching the tenderness as seen above as well as the sheer necessity of providing for a growing youngster(s) gives one an appreciation for the need for efficient hunting.  I call that "the perniciousness of life" .

I love nature--and the fierceness of it is troubling to me. Though I don't consider that I have delicate sensibilities, sometimes I gasp.



Quilting Ruler Guide Hack and Thread Cutting Hack

 There are many hacks floating about regarding using ruler guides for improving accuracy/speed of cutting.  Let's face it, cutting fabric for a large project is critical.  Read your ruler wrong by a 1/4 or 1/2 inch narrow, and your swath of fabric that you just cut cannot be used unless downstream you have a call for a smaller cut.  There are two types of guides:

  • Visual Guide: A visual guide is just that:  a visual guide to knowing what your cutting measure is.  You can use tape or my favorite dry erase markers.
  • Physical Guide: A physical guide provides both a visual and a physical ledge that you can bump against your fabric on the underside of your ruler. Many people make sewing ledges from painter's tape.  Marci Baker has vinyl Qtools.  They work well, except that they fall off, and are too easy to lose.

I'm an incorrigible experimenter, and I set out to find a better alternative. I've never used the painter's tape after trying it once...I don't like to recreate stuff each time I need to do something. Here are some of my experiments:

  • Plastic sheeting: Plastic from plastic placemats or cutting "boards" is heavy duty and easy to cut. I have 1/2" double sided tape, and cut my plastic at 1/2" wide...to any length that makes sense for you..  I affixed double sided tape to one side--the side that I would stick to the underside of the ruler..  I found that it provided both a visual and physical ledge.  I could easily remove an reposition the strip, and it was thin enough that I could leave it be for other cuts.❤  And cheap, cheap, cheap.
  • Silicon Tape:  I thought this would work well--and it does until you have to reposition it.  It is too squishy.  FAIL.💣  But this has other uses.
  • Foam Tape.  3m Double Side Foam tape has a protective cover on one side and is sticky on the other.   To make it more "removable," I adhered a piece of the plastic sheeting to the bottom.  I put double sided tape on the that to adhere to the ruler.  I left the protective covering on the other side.  For all of the benefits of the double sided tape on the plastic sheeting, combined with the benefits of the foam tape height, this provided a fabulous visual/physical guide that was easily repositionable.❤❤❤❤❤❤
 

Double sided tape will attract dirt from being removed--and as it is tacky it will attract fabric particles of the smallest sizes..  Simply pull it off the plastic and affix a new piece. 

Here's an inexpensive hack for a thread cutter:



Now the mounting tapes do a phenomenal job of affixing (and removing) "stuff".  I attached one of these to my acrylic sewing table AND to the tray on my Bernina.  Cheap and effective for thread cutting your chain pieces AFFORDABLY.



Goodbye Winter Bird Friends

 The White-throated Sparrows overwinter here yearly.  They have pulled up the tent stakes to go to their Canadian breeding grounds. (Updated:  NO...husbando birdwatcher misreported observed data.  They are still here...updated info on their northern return will be provided). The dark eyed juncos have mostly gone this week as well, though I've spied a laggard still looking for his seed and suet treats.  I've not seen the Brown Creeper lately...but he is such a small bird, it is hard to spot him even when I know he his here.  His penchant for the large oak trees and his brilliant camouflage means that if you are do not spot him moving, you don't spot him. The Yellow Bellied Sapsucker is also due for a flight north along with my Hermit Thrush.  I have a few Yellow Rumped Warblers that overwinter, and spied a couple of them today...they will not be here long.

Feeding the birds gives me such joy.  Now that the weather is breaking, they are "getting busy" looking for nesting spots (the Carolina Wrens have to be closely monitored as the grill of the truck is a fav nesting site).  I noticed the male bluebird attempting to get friendly with not one but two females, neither of whom were having any of it.  I have two blue bird boxes up that I can see.  A Chickadee was checking one out.  The male Bluebird was sitting atop the other, and I spied the female going into the box.  Sometimes they just audition one box, and make a nest in the other.  I can see both boxes from my home, so I'm always happy to watch them raise their family.

So here we are with a farewell to winter (it has been a cold one here) and a welcoming of spring...tumultuous weather to be expected

Daily Stuff

 Watching the news is a constant reminder of how fortunate we are in our lives.  I rarely complain about "stuff" because it is of little consequence when compared to the burdens of others.

I woke up early yesterday and I was on my computer--I received a message that I was almost out of space on my C drive.  Ugh.  I have a pretty large and powerful desktop--but it is approaching 7 years age.  And I've accumulated lots of "stuff" over the years.  

Space is not the problem that it used to be where both memory and disk space were precious commodities.  Memory and storage are now cheap, but computing power/speed and video graphics power/speed are what are dear.

I spent the better part of 3 hours moving stuff from C to E.  There was much duplication of files that I had moved prior to to the E drive, but I must have only copied them as they were still on C.  The way the files show up in the directory sidebar did not illuminate this error.

So my free space of 3% is now free space of 11%.  That works. Breathe.

I've been working through my scrappy LeMoyne Stars. From my scrap bin, I starched, ironed and cut strips in 1.5" widths which allowed me to use up some "stuff".  The Stripology ruler is a godsend for such work.

I pulled my Betwixt quilt out and sewed all of the blocks together into a quilt top.  I moved it on my KanBan board to the "Sandwich" column.  I did not well-consider my seam push on these blocks (and no wonder the original design had a banded strip on the Ohio Star.  But I wanted the non-banded to get the effect that I wanted.  But there's a mass convergence of seams--going unnatural ways. But I got it to work, and I'm not going to fuss about it.